Del Rio Pulling Out All The Stops

That line popped into my head after Jack Del Rio’s 4 minute Wednesday press conference. It was clear that Del Rio wanted to get a specific message out, then be done with it.

Del Rio’s message might be interpreted as a desperate move. He’s pulling out all of the stops to get his team on the same page. Considering the Jaguars 4-5 record, and with the uncertainty around Mike Peterson’s short term future with the Jaguars plus the unbeaten Titans coming to Jacksonville this weekend, there certainly are reasons for desperation.

I have often said that Del Rio’s greatest strength as a head coach is his ability to make his message heard by the players (and for them to buy into it). Last week was a testament to that ability. Yes, they played (and beat) the Lions, but the Jaguars played like a team on the same page as their coach.

Can they do the same this weekend against an unbeaten Titans team?

Whether the Jaguars make the playoffs or not this year, how they respond the rest of the year will tell us a lot about the future of Del Rio’s team.

This off-season figures to be full of change. There are a lot of players about whom decisions will have to be made: Peterson, Paul Spicer, Reggie Hayward, Khalif Barnes, Brad Meester, Reggie Williams, Jerry Porter and Dennis Northcutt, just to name a few.

Maurice Jones-Drew wants a new contract (he should get one).

Then there are questions about what happens with the coaching staff.

But we’ll save all of that for later.

These potential changes aren’t lost on the players. They may not spend much time thinking about the future, but they know it’s there.

If Jack Del Rio can keep the team together and pull the upset Sunday, it would be a real testament to his ability to rally the troops.

One Response to “Del Rio Pulling Out All The Stops”

If Jacksonville wants to lose this team, they’re doing a great job at it. The passing game is silly, really. The defensive backfield is all talk, they’re not great, at all. I love the Gators too, but Reggie Nelson is not getting the job done. On the same note, why are we paying Brian Williams? Can’t we find some better backs that don’t consistently give up long balls. I mean, let’s get serious. I look forward to the season every year, and this is just disappointing. Very disappointing. We’ve got to do better.